Chapter 17
Edward entered the room, his cold gaze sweeping across everyone before landing on Cecilia.
Ian, who had been swaggering with confidence just moments before, turned pale with terror the instant he recognized who had arrived.
"Mr... Mr... Mr. Clifford?" Ian's phone clattered to the floor.
He had assumed Cecilia was just another of Edward's discarded playthings. Never did he imagine Edward would come for her in the middle of the night.
Ian's knees buckled, and he dropped straight to the floor. "Mr. Clifford! I was wrong! I... I was just drunk, joking around with them! I deserve to die! My mouth runs wild! I'm not even human!" As he babbled, he raised his hands and began slapping himself hard across the face, left and right.
The sound was so sharp and real that the Tanner family watched in horror, shaking with fear.
Edward finally shifted his gaze from Ian to Cecilia, who was huddled in Samuel's protective embrace. She was wrapped in an oversized suit jacket, only her pale face visible, the marks from the tape still evident at the corners of her mouth.
His eyes narrowed dangerously, flashing with something lethal.
Edward's gaze remained fixed on Cecilia. She was wrapped in another man's suit, her hollow eyes streaming with silent tears.
"Come here," Edward commanded, his voice laced with unmistakable threat.
Cecilia's body froze.
Samuel looked down at her. "Cecilia, don't be afraid. I won't let him—"
"I'll say it once more," Edward cut him off, eyes still locked on Cecilia. "Come here."
Samuel tried to speak again, but felt Cecilia stir in his arms. She pushed away his protective hold. She had no choice.
But the drug hadn't fully worn off. Her legs felt like noodles, and the moment she tried to stand, she pitched forward uncontrollably.
"Cecilia!" Samuel cried out.
A dark shadow moved faster than he could. Before she hit the ground, Edward grabbed her wrist and pulled her straight into his arms.
Cecilia's nose collided with his hard chest, forcing a small sound from her throat, soft as a kitten's whimper.
Edward's arms tightened around her like iron bands, trapping her completely.
"Hold me," he ordered.
Cecilia's fingertips curled hesitantly before she slowly raised her arms and wrapped them around his lean waist.
Samuel watched the scene unfold, the light in his eyes gradually dimming.
Edward finally deigned to address the others in the room. "Teddy."
Teddy, who had been standing quietly by the door, stepped forward. "Mr. Clifford."
"Clean this up."
Those simple words made Tanner collapse where he stood, legs giving out beneath him.
Edward didn't spare them another glance. He lifted Cecilia, now light as paper, into his arms and turned to leave. As he passed Samuel, he didn't break stride, but left him with a softly delivered warning.
"Mr. Hughes, curiosity kills cats. Sometimes it kills people too."
Samuel's fists clenched tight, but he could only watch helplessly as Edward carried Cecilia away, disappearing down the hallway.
---
The car didn't head to the hospital but drove straight back to the mansion she had left just days ago.
Edward carried her from the entrance hall up to the master bedroom on the second floor, where he dropped her onto the plush bed.
Cecilia watched him approach step by step, his tall figure radiating an intense, threatening presence. She knew what he intended.
In the darkness, his eyes were unnaturally bright, churning with anger, possession, and something more complex she couldn't decipher.
No kisses. No foreplay. He claimed her in the most direct, brutal way possible, as if repeatedly asserting his ownership through his body.
During this almost punishing possession, something hard slipped from the torn pocket of her shirt and fell onto the wool carpet beside the bed. It was a palm-sized, brown leather journal with worn edges.
Edward paused, picking it up. He tilted his head to look at it.
On the first page, written in elegant handwriting, was a single line:
[—To the one I love most.]
Signed: Winston Gray.
Only when she noticed the change in the man above her did Cecilia realize the journal had fallen out. It was the sole reason she'd gone to that so-called "home" today.
"Give it back..." Her voice was painfully hoarse.
Edward ignored her. He pulled open the bedside drawer and tossed the journal inside. Then he covered her again, silencing all her unspoken pleas. This time, he was even more savage than before, with a madness that threatened to consume her completely.
He wanted to erase every trace of the man called "Winston" with his own marks. Even if that man was just a boy who was no longer in this world.
After the brutal conquest ended, Edward sat on the edge of the bed, staring at Cecilia.
Suddenly, the shrill ring of a phone cut through the silence. One ring after another, persistent and demanding.
Edward's patience had clearly run out. He leaned down to pick up the phone. The screen showed "Legal Department Colleague."
He answered it.
"Cecilia! Where the hell have you been? The Southeast Asia earn-out agreement is missing data, and Ms. Thomas is about to throw herself out the window! The entire department is waiting on you!" The voice on the other end was frantic and accusatory, full of resentment at being punished for her actions.
Edward said nothing. Getting no response, the caller grew even angrier: "Just because you offended Mr. Clifford, we all have to suffer for it. Don't you feel any guilt at all—"
"She's busy." His voice was ice-cold, sharp as a blade.
The caller fell instantly silent, seemingly holding their breath.
Edward continued without emotion, "From now on, this project reports directly to the executive office. All questions go to Teddy by email."
He paused, then added, "If this phone rings again about this matter, your department can start calculating severance packages."
With that, he hung up and tossed the phone back onto the carpet.
Just then, Cecilia suddenly began pushing off the covers. "Hot..." she murmured unconsciously, tearing at what little fabric still covered her.
When her knee brushed against Edward sitting on the bed, she instinctively clung to him. She rubbed her cheek against his expensive shirt, making broken whimpering sounds. "Water... it hurts... help me..."
Edward's body instantly stiffened. Cecilia's eyes were unfocused, her cheeks flushed crimson, her entire body burning with fever.
He cursed under his breath, bundling her back under the covers. The next moment, Cecilia emerged from the blankets like an octopus and wrapped herself around him again.